Protected
by lillinfields
Summary: Witness protection is protection of a threatened witness, before, during and after a trial, usually by police. Some witnesses are provided with new identity and may live out the rest of their lives under government protection. Wikipedia
1. Chapter 1

"Protected"

(Characters are not mine etc…And it is most likely a one-shot)

Looking in the mirror, he wiped away the steam. He had to push down the sigh that was constantly fighting to get out. If he gave up, he'd lose the battle with depression. It was an ache that had settled into his bones all those years ago. Breathing deeply he wiped off the glass, squinting due to the reflected sunrays. Business as usual he thinks to himself. He grasped the countertop as he begins to cough up. It had been way too many years since that particular incident and it still hurt to think about it. What a year that had been, good and bad things had happened but it had been the calm before the storm in the end.

Letting go of the counter with a deep breath, he steps back to look at himself. He did this every morning, everyday even on the weekends. He couldn't afford not to stay ahead of the game. He always had to be aware of the act, the part he played for every second he was awake. He was a different person with a different life. So much pain and agony in his old way of life. Behind his eyelids played the memories that haunted his every minute.

He hadn't been given a choice originally. He'd been ushered out the door with an ultimatum with a promise of protection. Anonymity at it's best, but he had never wanted it. Everyday with every minute he breathed he longed for his old life. He missed the feel of the chase, the smell of ammo, and he definitely missed his Armani suits. In the here and now, it was always too hot to go about in all those old layers.

Such a drastic difference in his life. He had been split straight down the middle in regards to almost everything. With all of his being, he had to be different. Different walk, talk, look, and act. His whole life now revolved around boredom. In life, in work, in everything it was all so boring.

Deep breaths allowed him to come back to himself. In the time ha had been reminiscing only moments had passed. He looks to the clock on the counter; it was 6am he had to get going. It took 40 mins to get to the school and he hated being late. Even his punctuality had changed. Always on time, that was him nowadays. He was like a good watch that way, but still no matter how he looked at, he and his life was boring. He finishes getting dressed, pulling his socks on and grabbing a clean polo shirt off the hook by the sink. All so boring he thinks to himself with a sigh.

Looking in the mirror one last time he breathes out. He says his name aloud "Mr. Alexander James Stowe." But in his head he quietly repeats "my name is Tony." As he walks away, he shakes himself, grabbing his keys he heads out into the balmy Miami morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex wiped at his bangs. He had begun to sweat in just the few minutes he had been in his car on the freeway. It was the same old thing everyday; the traffic in Miami was always wretched. He swears as he sees someone swerve in front of him.  Barely room to move in this jam and some idiot was pretending to be evil knevil, "Damn it!"

He lets out a breath as the traffic moves a little more. Finally, his exit was coming up but as he turned the wheel to merge over that same car sped past him. He pounds the wheel but then stops as he sees the car swerving into the burn lane. He can't even blink as the side opens and a body falls out. He speeds up trying to get the license on the speeding car but even as he squints, he notices there's no plates. But he takes note of the make and model as it pushes forward through traffic. Looking around he notices that no one else saw the actions of the speedy driver. "Shit, I better call the cops and then the school…shit shit shit."

He pulls up to the burn lane and puts the car in park. He just rests his forehead on the steering wheel for a moment; he has to breathe a little. He can never get away from it seems. Crime follows him everywhere. He pulls his cell out of the faded khakis that seem to be sticking to him on this hot and now horrible day. He doesn't leave the car, he can't, "damn it," he won't. He calls 911 and reports it as he saw it, slowly and succinctly he details it all out. Not even realizing how it would sound to the PD, it would sound like he was a cop, going by pure rote and instinct. He hangs up and settles in to wait.

He looks around and with a smirk realizes that traffic had finally died down. Oh, well nothing to do about it. He hunches down and prepares himself to call the principal. She would not be pleased. The lady barely tolerated him most days, if only he could revert back to the good ole' days where he could charm the pants off even the most geriatric has been. "Thank god I don't have much planned for today, no tests and an easy substitute teacher," the kids will be in heaven, me not so much. He flinches when the barrage of elevator music shows him being on hold.

Only a few moments later he explains the situation, begging off the reprimand until later and realizes just how hot he really was. Sitting in the car in this kind of heat was not his greatest idea ever. But he stays, he doesn't want to leave this hotbox, he can't make himself even look towards the body. Too many memories, too much longing to be had. He laughs silently to himself; it was truly a sad day when he longed for dead bodies and all niters.

At least now, he got to have some beauty sleep. Early to bed, early to rise. God did he feel old. Everyday when he looked in the mirror as his hair dried, he saw the grey strands creeping in. He was forced everyday to see his body in such a different way of life it hurt him to even glance down at his horrid clothes and wasting body. It had only been a decade away from the cop life and he had forced himself to let it all go. The crazed routine of daily running, gym workouts and all the sparring. That was all gone now, he worked out three times a week at the local Y and it was good enough for him, or at least good enough for Alex.

"Damn it, where are the cops when you need them?" He stretches his back out as he mutters to himself. Today had totally taken him out of his stride. His routine of the last 10 years was broken and he smiles to himself as he says, "At least I'm not bored." He perks up though as his great hearing allows him to catch the sirens coming towards him. "Ahhh better get ready to shine," he says as he pushes the car door open. He climbs out just as the first cop car pulls up. He leans against the door and just waits. All he used to was wait but now for once in a decade he had something not quite so boring to do.

He focuses on breathing and getting himself in the old mindset he used daily all those years ago. He has to smile as he realizes that it's as if those investigator skills never left. He smirks to himself as the old man in uniform rambles up to him and he says under his breath "This is gonna be fun."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Looking the officer up and down, he had to admit the uniform still had the power to intimidate a man like him, a man like Alexander. Alex himself couldn't believe he'd been the only one to stop and call the police. Hell he couldn't believe he'd been the only one to see the body get dumped. But in all honesty it was a bright Miami morning and if he hadn't been stalling for time before work he would have never noticed. Not anymore at least, there used to be a time where he had eyes like a hawk and would've spotted the car, the body, the speed, and a number of other things but all he can say to the officer in front of him is "Good Morning."

God he wants to smack himself, he was all nerves and stutters as the cop glares first at the body and then at him. Preparing himself he starts to recount what he'd seen. Telling the cop that he'd been slowly running late for work and had just been driving with traffic when a car sped by him and within seconds of passing him the door had opened and the body had fallen out. And Alex determined to do his civic duty had dialed 911. He hoped he wasn't sounding too idiotic but god he wasn't used to this. Even the dispatcher's questions had thrown him off his game, off his life. The questions the cop was asking seemed just as routine as they were years ago but still the pressure and heat was getting to him. He hadn't been prepared for the rush of memories or the heat of the sun beating down upon him. Usually at this point in the day he was stuck in a stuffy classroom or gymnasium. But here in the light of day he was feeling the buzz under the skin, the rush, the thrill, the exciting new adventure that death had once brought upon his doorstep.

But no longer. Alex had to stop mid-thought and berate his subconscious. He couldn't let the old interfere with the new. He had to be himself, his new self. Forcing himself to remember who he is, at least right now. He finishes telling the officer about five minute crime scene he witnessed. But now he has to wait. Just like it used to be, except now he was the bystander. Forcing himself to breathe through the pained memories he started to cough just a bit.

The heat was definitely getting to him. He tries to breathe through the coughing spell like usual but something wasn't right. His vision was blurring and he just couldn't breathe. It was too much. He was moving back to his car for some water when something stopped him. Or should he have thought someone. Looking up Tony…no Alex couldn't help but blink at the hand holding the bottle of water and the other one reaching down and assisting him to stand and drink some of the water. He couldn't help but gasp as the coolness hit his throat. It helped him come back to the present. Feeling the air in his lungs, he takes a breath and looks up into his saving grace's eyes and can't help it when a "I'm Alex" comes out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Alex has to control his breathing and stay upright as his savior replies "My name is Lt. Caine, but you may call me Horatio." All Alex can think about is Shakespeare and Hamlet and then a mix of murder and the god awful heat wave. But then as he moves a bit more he stops thinking of long dead poets and murder victims and just focuses on the extremely attractive man in front of him. He's barely paying attention when Caine asks him "Are you alright now? I have some questions to ask and then we can let you go for the time being." He fights with his inner self over how to proceed, but as usual Alex wins out. "Yes yes I'm alright, just a problem with my lungs. You said you had other questions to ask, I thought I'd answered all of the officer's questions." Alex and Tony both want to let a sigh or two out when Caine says, "I'd like to hear it all from the beginning, I have two of my CSI's checking out the body now and that means I have some time to gather your witness statement as well as your contacts etc." And that's how it goes for the next 45 minutes; Alex answers questions and provides his information. And soon enough is allowed to leave the scene with the promise of further phone calls if needed.

And as Alex gets back into his car he has to breathe a little more heavily. He'd avoided the temptation for ten years too long. Standing there at the scene even answering the Lt's questions made him long for the good old days. He hadn't wanted to think about how bad he missed it, but he'd nearly been vibrating with a need to grab a camera and a sketch pad and go to town. But good ole' Alex resisted, he'd answered the questions asked of him and now here he was, finally on his way to work. He looks down at the dashboard and realizes with a sigh that the school day wasn't even half over, he still had many hours to go before classes and practices were done and he could go home, and once again try and bury this need he had back down into the tiny little hole his heart allowed him. He missed the crimes, the fights, but most of all Alex…no Tony damn it missed his family, or what used to be his family.

Sitting there avoiding the inevitable Alex nearly screams when his car window is knocked on. He looks up into the same eyes that had in some small way saved him an hour before and doesn't know what to say as he rolls his window down. He can't help but smirk a little when Caine asks him "You doing okay Mr. Stowe?" Alex grins and answers quickly "Yes Lt. I was just avoiding the reality of having to go back to work today." He smiles even more when Caine replies, "I understand Alex but I am going to have ask that you drive to work now, we need to check the scene out some more, but we'll be sure to contact as soon we need to." As Caine walks away Alex can't help but sigh and long for…something really…maybe Lt. Horatio Caine or maybe the crime scene adrenaline rush all Alex knew was that today and every time he met up with the cop he'd be reminded of all that he'd lost. And as he drives away he has to force himself to keep on driving, that was his philosophy for the last ten years, just keep on going.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was as he arrived at the school that it hit him. He'd just witnessed and been a part of his first crime scene in over ten years. God was he getting old and delusional if that was what it took to get him to really hunger for what he used to be. And thinking of his old life made him realize that he was really late for his new one. *Thank goodness I called* Alex thought to himself. He knew he already had one lecture expected because of today's events. He didn't think his laid back attitude would survive a second one. He'd been slowly building up a subtle rebellion within himself that promised to explode if the she bitch that was his boss kept picking at him.

*Alright Enough Alex* he told himself, time to put his game face on. He had finally gotten the nerve up to leave the car and trudge inside the school and into hell, when who should he happen upon when the doors open none other than the very woman he'd wanted to avoid. He zoned out as he heard her lecture on punctuality and the responsibility a teacher and a coach has. As he's walking towards the gym with her on his heels he just nods his head and then asks, without a thought, "Should I have gotten a note from police then? I'm sure that would have gone over well Madam Principal." He didn't even turn as he said it or even notice just how off that response was from his usual stern and silent nature. *Well hell let her chalk it up to exhaustion* Alex thinks but he also has to whisper to himself as he walks into his own office, "Hopefully she'll leave me alone now, I just need to be left alone."

But what Alex forgot Tony remembered that a man was never left alone and abandoned by his team. And while he was wasting away in Miami, his team, his family still wanted him to come home, to come in from the cold, even decades later they would have waited but no more. As Alex's slow burning rebellion became a fiery storm that Tony called upon his lonely world would soon collide with the one he still dreamed of. NCIS would be calling his number sooner rather than later, and unbeknownst to Tony he would be going home soon. Home would have to wait another day or two though. Because just as Alex was wishing for his old life back his new life was interfering with those memories. *Thank God* Alex had to think to himself, I'm finally away from that woman and now I can get back to teaching those numskulls called children. Alex just mutters "Ugh, why did I ever agree to this?" before continuing on into the gym calling out as the doors opened "Get into your dodge ball teams now, playtime is over."


End file.
